BA is BA, nothing has changed.

Why would or should we think they could change.

The take over of the NBL is nearly complete and then all will fall into the indicisive, eliteism of BA programme.

Dont be surprised if there is a rogue league started up by the owners.

That could be the best thing at this stage, NVS.

*sigh*

Maybe the NBL Premier League?

Maybe the league needs to stand up and really make a noise on this one.

I thought BA ran the league - not the owners, if some of the owners dont like the new rules - tell them to piss off. Sure they will threaten to take their bat and ball and go home but maybe thats whats needed.

Im sure there are other people (or existing owners who feel bullied) who may be interested in being involved in owning/running a club but at the moment see it as a bit of a boys club where the rules are policed selectively to appease the loudest voices.

For the Dragons and Wildcats to have argued succesfully that they dont need to provide the bank guarantee just makes the whole process look like a joke.

The longer this crap goes on the more Im seeing advantages in taking a season off, cleaning out all the crap and getting the basis for a new league right and THEN moving forward.

I don't think taking a year off is the right way to go about things. Unlike the soccer the NBL doesn't have the big money backing them. Players will be forced to sit out a year and most need the NBL because they would not be able to earn what they do in a regular 9-5. It might also force players into an early retirement. If all the players were making high 6 figures to low 7 figures they could afford to take a year off but this isn't the case.

Why Should they relax the rules for some and not for others?

As for your examples -

Adelaide were broke only a few years ago..

South have only existed for a couple of years...

I can't believe they don't have top put up the $1m guarantee! Surely it is the same rule for all?

BA is th owner of the NBL now, but he clubs are if they sign the frnchise owner for an area.

With out them BA has nothing.

Super League sounds the way to go.

LC - I think it is a case of BA being too scared to ask the owners (who are worth 100's of millions) for a bank guarantee. I am not saying it is right as i think it should be one rule for all.

36ers are not that financially stable though and weren't making money when separated from BSA. They hang around and have good crowds, but you wouldn't stake your house (or $1m) on it.

Statman, funnily enough, I think that if it came to an ultimatum, the owners should call BA's bluff, but that owners should also respect the league's decisions. i.e., I don't really think BA should be running the league.

There is no way I will support a rogue/ Super League.
We already know which two teams will (unfairly) dominate and it will fall on it's all much like Rugby League did when people power put an end to having their sport sold out.
You absolutely cannot have a rogue League so close to announcing reform- they will defer the season as worst case scenario and that came from the mouth of Chuck not long ago to a credible contact.
I would hate to see the season deferred but if it's what's best for everybody, rather than just what's best for some, then it's the lesser of 2 evils.

If its deffered you will loose the current owners, players,coaches and supporters.

from what I got told today, Sydney is out for the coming season and Brissy going to be back; but all other teams will remain.

wasn't informed what the disagreement was about but I'm guessing it'll be somewhere along the FTA etc. as I've always said the priority of NBL isn't the $1m guarrantee but to ensure NBL on FTA. $1m treats the pain site but not the pain source. Foxtel contract was only signed for money and that is pure stupid because that's not going to help the overall growth of the league.

Look at netball it seems to be quite successfull now into their second season with OneHD marketing and packaging; they have done a marvelous job.

If two teams dont pay the $1M what impact will that have on player contracts, in those clubs if something goes wrong players could miss out.

If I was a player I would prefer to sign with a club that could guarantee my payments.

We all saw what happens if a team goes down half way through a season

*sorry I meant Brissy isn't going to come back, also just read the article and this is already on there...sorry about repeating the info...

Why not scrap the $1m guarantee altogether? How many people work for companies that guarantee their pays if they go bankrupt? Its an employment risk everyone faces, why is it any different in Sport? Players have chosen to earn their income playing basketball, they need to do it understanding the risks. Its not a pleasant situation but like everyone else, if one job doesn't work out, you look for another. Another job does not necessarily mean in the same field either. What's worse about a team like Adelaide (with one of the best fan based support) not meeting the guarantee is not participating in the league. Do you think its a good thing for the league to lose 5-8,000 fans? I'm not saying Adelaide should be an exception and get away without the guarantee, I'm saying to scrap it for everyone. Its getting late in the year and teams have to get down to organising their teams for next season. My message to the NBL is let them get on with it and stop putting hurdles in way.

vichoops - good point. If the guarantee wasn't across the board, it could have a slight impact on recruitment though I doubt it would a significant one.

That's amazing news that South and Perth have got exemptions from the $1 million guarantee! I don't see how the NBL can fairly demand guarantees of any team if two teams don't have to do it. Talk about no credibility.

If this is the kind of decision that is coming from the league it sounds to me like basketball needs to take a year off after all to work through the issues properly.

Its not a great sitch for people who earn a living from the league, but basically life is tough right now. At least some people have been making a living from SPORT for awhile - most people would love to have that chance.

There might be a few who will go looking for work overseas and not come back, but if you were a good NBL player, had to miss a year, but were offered a new contract to come back and play the next year, you'd do it wouldn't you?

I think its more important to really thrash out a new business model that will be sustainable. So if push comes to shove, I'm all for delaying for a year.

While I am thinking about this, if the NBL did have a year off, why not actually take the opportunity to sit down with One HD and work out a made for TV basketball tournament?

Obviously One has just taken up the IPL and would be looking for other new tournament type content. And if netball can successfully sell a league to One then basketball MUST have a shot!

If you sell a short, intensive 'World Cup' style event to One (ie, a group stage then knockout) with say 5 Aussie teams, NZ, and two invited Asian teams, they would have some good content that they could easily slot into their schedule somewhere.

With so few teams, we could really concentrate the talent and guarantee high quality ball. This would work especially well if you could get a big prize together like the IPL does to really raise the stakes!

I reckon you would get an exciting tournament with big FTA exposure, and because it is only for a short time, you leave people wanting more.

This gives One a chance to try the product out with little risk and the possibility of a big ratings reward. If it is successful, I reckon you would see them stump up some cash for a full season next year. Then we'd be cooking with gas!

Anyway, I know there are a lot of things that would have to be worked out to make something like this happen, but it would be an awesome way to get some hype going for basketball instead of another ho-hum NBL season that local media basically doesn't even bother with these days.

Beantown- great ideas. earlier I suggested to take a year off for the same reason in mind. Really try get something going with OneHD. Foxtel won't get NBL anywhere.

Thanks LA - I am really just throwing a few ideas out that sound good to me. Not being involved in basketball in any official capacity means I don't really know what is realistic or not. I'm just really hopeful that we can find a solid owner for the 36ers and get a stable, competitive league. Am sick to death of of the crap that basketball seems to go through in this country. I used to love NBL back in the 90s but it really lost its way over the past decade.